The first self-propelled mortar was the 2B1 Oka, based on the Iosif Stalin tank chassis capable of firing a 420 mm shell at a distance of 45 km (28 mi).

A few examples were built and paraded in the early 1960s, but ultimately the Oka wasn't adopted due Nikita Khrushchev's preference for missiles over heavy guns.

[5] The towed M240, used by artillery regiments of rifle divisions during the 1950s until they were reassigned in the late 1950s to heavy mortar battalions, proved to be rather impractical in combat: the 3OF-864 shell weighted 130 kg (290 lb), which made difficult for crews to load the weapon without the aid of a small crane.

Additionally, the 240 mm mortar shells of the M240 also have a greater destructive effect than artillery shells of comparable caliber,[c] making them well suited for striking protected targets, such as entrenched command centers, enemy forces on reverse slopes of hills, or enemy defensive fortifications.

It combined the GM chassis with a modified version of the 240 mm M240 mortar, the 2B8 developed by Yuri N. Kalachnikov at the Perm Machine Building Plant.

[1] It was introduced into the Soviet Army in the early 1970s as the 2S4 Tyulpan ("Tulip"), reaching full operational status in 1975, being designated by Western intelligence as the M-1975 240 mm self-propelled mortar.

[2][7] The 2S4 Tyulpan uses a modified 2K11 Krug chassis and carries an externally mounted 240 mm 2B8 smoothbore mortar complete with its baseplate on the rear of the hull and a dozer blade at the front to prepare firing positions.

[2] The driver and the commander are seated on the front left side of the vehicle, while the rest of the crew and the ammunition are positioned in the rear.

[8] Another basic type of ammunition used is a HE fragmentation RAP round weighing 228 kg (503 lb) with a maximum range of 18,000 m (20,000 yd).

Foss also points out that the Russians maintain a small number of 2S4s in front line service due the weapon short range and low rate of fire.

[9][20] OSCE observers, monitoring movements of equipment in the war in Donbas with a UAV, spotted a 2S4 on territory under control of the Donetsk People's Republic on 4 July 2015.

[21] In May 2022, 2S4 Tyulpan were reported being used in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with 55 units destroyed by Ukrainian forces as of February 2025, as documented by the OSINT research website Oryx.

[22] According to Rob Lee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Russian 2S4 crews are "likely a priority for Ukrainian counter-battery fire".